Many people (including us) thought the world was over when OEMS began ditching solid axle suspensions in favor of independent front suspensions. Initially there was good reason to fear the future. The first independent front suspensions offered were pretty awful. Using torsion bars, the inches of wheel travel could be counted on one hand. I remember my younger days of bombing across the desert in my IFS Toyota mini truck trying to do my best impersonation of Ivan “Ironman” Stewart. Unfortunately for me, my little Toyota pickup was missing at least of foot of wheel travel compared to Stewart’s. I swear, the kidney-smashing ride stunted my growth.
In search of better ride quality and easier packaging, the OEMs ditched torsion bars. In their place was added a coil-on-shock setup that took up less space and produced a much nicer ride. A plus for those who actually used their vehicles in the dirt, wheel travel numbers went up significantly too. Finally, an independent suspension could actually work in the dirt. Sure, in technical terrain solid axles would do better. But for a daily driver that saw plenty of use on-road and off, an independent front suspension could be made to work. For those who wanted even more wheel travel, a long travel system could be bolted into place after a serious commitment of cash.
Making an independent front suspension – or any suspension – work is not just about adding wheel travel. Shocks play a much more important role than many give them credit. We would rather have 8 inches of perfectly controlled suspension travel than 12 inches damped by coilovers or shocks with generic valving in them. While some people obsess over the diameter of a coilover, or how shiny it is, what is way more important is its internals. They play a more significant role in how the shock works.
A perfect example are the new Bilstein B8 8112 ZoneControl CR coilovers for 2005-15 Toyota Tacoma. On the outside, the Bilsteins look similar to most other coilovers on the market. But on the inside things get radically different than any other coilover on the market. And as moms love to say, it’s what is on the inside that counts. That is definitely true for shocks. Let’s take a peek inside Bilstein’s latest to see just what is going on.
If you are still confused about how the Bilstein B8 8112 ZoneControl CR shocks work, check out the video below:
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